The ShortList Finalists: Here’s Our Top 12, Start Watching!

We are thrilled to reveal the top 12 finalists in our inaugural ShortList Film Festival, which kicks off today and will run through September 4.

They include shorts prize winners from the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Venice Film Festival and the LA Film Festival, and come from the United States, Kenya, Italy, Brazil and elsewhere. The shorts will screen exclusively for our online voting audience on http://shortlistfilmfestival.com starting today through Sept. 4.

“The ShortList” showcases 12 award-winning short films hand-picked from world’s top film festivals of the past year. The shorts are hosted on TheWrap.com’s website and through its mobile platform and will also be available on MTV’s film sites Film.com and Nextmovie.com.

In addition, Panavision will provide a prize of $60,000 in camera equipment to be used toward a future filmmaking project for the winner of the Industry prize. Other prizes include the opportunity for the winners’ short to be aired on an MTV network. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Sept. 4 on the Sony Pictures Entertainment lot in Los Angeles.

Congratulations to the finalists, and many thanks to all the incredible filmmakers who submitted their shorts.

THE MAKER (Dir: Christopher Kezelos), Australia, 5 min.
A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life.
Best Animated Short, Newport Beach Film Festival & Best Animated Short, Sydney Film Festival

FICTION:
200 MINUTES (MINUTO 200) (Dir: Frank Benitez), Columbia, 18 min.
An elderly woman resigns herself waiting for death, convinced that it will come knocking at her door as soon as she has sold the last minute of a cellphone airtime.
Best Ibero American Short, Guadalajara International Film Festival

FISHING WITHOUT NETS (Dir: Cutter Hodierne), Kenya/US, 17 min.
A story of pirates in Somalia told from the perspective of the Somalis.
Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival

THE CHAIR (Dir: Grainger David), US, 12 min.
One boy's reaction to a strange and deadly outbreak in his small town.
Best Narrative Short, LA Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize, SXSW Film Festival

THE FACTORY (Dir: Aly Muritiba), Brazil, 15 min.
An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.
Best Live Action Short, CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival

THE PLAIN (A CHJANA) Dir: Jonas Carpignano, Italy/US, 19 min.
True events inspired this compelling tale of an African migrant worker and his best friend in the wake of the most significant race riot in Italian history. A stirring story of rebellion, solidarity and friendship.
Best Short Film, Venice International Film Festival

DOCUMENTARY:
AARON BURR, PART 2 (Dir: Dana O’Keefe), US, 8 min.
A contemporary re-imagining of the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr explores the idea of history as a contested narrative.
Grand Jury Prize, Dallas International Film Festival

A BRIEF HISTORY OF JOHN BALDESSARI (Dirs: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman), US, 5 min.
No more boring films! Everything you need to know about the godfather of Conceptual Art. Narrated by Tom Waits.
Best Documentary Short, Deadcenter Festival

THE LOVE COMPETITION (Dir: Brent Hoff), US, 15 min.
The Stanford MRI Lab hosts the world's first ever "Love Competition" in which 7 contestants have 5 minutes to neurochemically love someone "as hard as they can."
Special Jury Prize, Dallas International Film Festival

“The ShortList” showcases 12 award-winning short films hand-picked from world’s top film festivals of the past year. The shorts are hosted on TheWrap.com’s website and through its mobile platform and will also be available on MTV’s film sites Film.com and Nextmovie.com.

Sponsors of the festival include MTV, Cinedigm and Panavision. TheWrap also thanks Sony Pictures Entertainment for its generous support of The ShortList.

The festival is programmed by Nancy Collet, previously head of programming for AFI and a Film Festival consultant. Subscribers to TheWrap’s First Take newsletter will receive one entry per day embedded in their morning email, where they can vote. Viewers can also screen the films at any time during the festival: http://shortlistfilmfestival.com and vote from August 20 thru September 4.